1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to a tool for determining an appropriately designed medical undergarment, and more particularly to a rotational sizing wheel with which both size and type of medical undergarment can be determined from wearer measurement, urinary output, mobility, and combinations thereof.
2. Background Art
Many people suffer incontinence issues. Sometimes the symptoms are temporary, such as from medical procedures, medications, or temporary mobility issues. Other times the symptoms are longer lasting. To accommodate such issues, manufacturers have developed absorbent medical undergarments. A user wears these undergarments, which can be configured as scoop-shaped pads, briefs, or sheet-like devices, to absorb inadvertent waste discharge.
As people come in many different shapes, manufacturers have developed different sized undergarments. Further, some undergarments are designed for large amounts of urinary output while others are designed for only modest levels of output. One problem associated with the many sizes and types of undergarments is selecting the proper size and type of undergarment for a particular patient.
For example, when a patient is hospitalized and suffers from temporary incontinence issues, it can sometimes be difficult for a nurse to move the patient sufficiently to take proper measurements to determine the appropriately sized undergarment. Consequently, the patient may be fitted with an improperly sized undergarment, which can result in leakage, chafing, diaper rash, skin irritation, and reduced dignity for the user.
There is thus a need for a device and method suitable for quickly and conveniently determining an appropriately sized undergarment for a wearer.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.